Elastic presentation space

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying visual information on a display screen of a computer, comprising the steps of scaling the visual information to produce a scaled representation to fit on the display screen the scaled representation containing the entire content of the visual information; selecting a region of interest within the scaled representation; applying a transformation to the scaled representation to improve the visual detail in the region of interest; and, displaying the transformed presentation on the display screen.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/978,773, filed Oct. 18, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference,which claims priority from Canadian Patent Application No. 2,323,569,filed Oct. 18, 2000, and incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of computer graphics processing, morespecifically, the invention relates to a system and method for applyingdetail-in-context viewing techniques and elastic presentation spacetechnologies to online and electronic presentation of viewable media,such as newspapers, telephone directories, and maps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Display screens are the primary visual display interface to a computer.One problem with these visual display screens is that they are limitedin size, thus presenting a challenge to user interface design,particularly when larger amounts of information is to be displayed. Thisproblem is normally referred to as the “screen real estate problem”.

Well known solutions to this problem include panning, zooming, scrollingor combinations thereof. While these solutions are suitable for a largenumber of visual display applications, these solutions become lesseffective where the visual information is spatially related, such asmaps, newspapers and such like. In this type of information display,panning, zooming and/or scrolling is not as effective as much of thecontext of the panned, zoomed or scrolled display is hidden.

A recent solution to this problem is the application of“detail-in-context” presentation techniques to the display of largesurface area media, such as maps. Detail-in-context presentationtechniques take on many forms and are useful for displaying largeamounts of information on limited size computer screens, and arebecoming more important with the increased use of hand held computingdevices such as personal digital assistance (PDA's) and cell phones.

Now, in the detail-in-context discourse, differentiation is often madebetween the terms “representation” and “presentation”. A representationis a formal system, or mapping, for specifying raw information or datathat is stored in a computer or data processing system. For example, adigital map of a city is a representation of raw data including streetnames and the relative geographic location of streets and utilities.Such a representation may be displayed visually on computer screen orprinted on paper. On the other hand, a presentation is a spatialorganization of a given representation that is appropriate for the taskat hand. Thus, a presentation of a representation organizes such thingsas the point of view and the relative emphasis of different parts orregions of the representation. For example, a digital map of a city maybe presented with a region magnified to reveal street names.

Detail-in-context presentations allow for magnification of a particularregion of interest (the “focal region”) in a representation whilepreserving visibility of the surrounding representation. In other words,in detail-in-context presentations focal regions are presented with anincreased level of detail without the removal of contextual informationfrom the original representation. In general, a detail-in-contextpresentation may be considered as a distorted view (or distortion) of aportion of the original representation where the distortion is theresult of the application of a “lens” like distortion function to theoriginal representation. A detailed review of various detail-in-contextpresentation techniques may be found in a publication by Carpendale,Marianne S. T., titled “A Framework for Elastic Presentation Space”(Burnaby, British Columbia: Simon Fraser University, 1999)) andincorporated herein by reference.

One shortcoming of current Electronic Presentation Space (EPS) graphicstechnology and detail-in-context presentation methods is that they arecomputationally inefficient. Considerable computer processing isrequired to distort a given presentation so as to produce adetail-in-context “lens”, and to move the lens through the data withadequate performance to provide an acceptable level of interactivity tothe user.

Another shortcoming lies in the level of accuracy of magnification thatthese methods provide, since detail-in-context methods such as thosedescribed in Keahey's NonLinear Magnification (Keahey, T. Alan,Nonlinear Magnification (Indiana University Computer Science, 1997))require an interative approach to transform a data representation into adetail-in-context presentation at a given desired magnification.

A need therefore exists for a method and system that will allow for theeffective implementation of EPS graphics technology for the online andelectronic presentation of printed media. Consequently, it is an objectof the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least some of theabove-mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method fordisplaying visual information on a display screen of a computer. Themethod comprises the steps of scaling the visual information to producea scaled representation to fit on the display screen the scaledrepresentation containing the entire content of the visual information;selecting a region of interest within the scaled representation;applying a transformation to the scaled representation to improve thevisual detail in the region of interest; and, displaying the transformedpresentation on the display screen.

According to another aspect of the invention, a data processing systemis provided. This data processing system has stored therein datarepresenting sequences of instructions which when executed cause theabove-described method to be performed. The data processing systemgenerally has an input device, a central processing unit, memory, and adisplay.

According to another aspect of the invention, a computer softwareproduct is provided. This computer software product contains sequencesof instructions which when executed cause the above-described method tobe performed.

According to another aspect of the invention, an integrated circuitproduct is provided. This integrated circuit product contains sequencesof instructions which when executed cause the above-described method tobe performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by referring to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a 3D perspective viewing frustrum inaccordance with known elastic presentation space graphics technology;.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a presentation in accordance withknown elastic presentation space graphics technology;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data processing system in accordance withthe preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a screen capture of two pages from a newspaper informationsource that have been shrunk to fit a display surface in accordance withthe preferred embodiment; and,

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for applyingdetail-in-context viewing techniques and elastic presentation spacetechnologies to the online and electronic presentation of viewable mediain accordance with the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it isunderstood that the invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known software, circuits, structuresand techniques have not been described or shown in detail in order notto obscure the invention. The term “data processing system” is usedherein to refer to any machine for processing data, including thecomputer systems and network arrangements described herein. The term“PliablePaper™” is used herein to refer to a computer software productthat implements the method of the preferred embodiment of the invention.The term “Elastic Presentation Space” or “EPS” is used herein to referto techniques that allow for the adjustment of a visual presentationwithout interfering with the information content of the representation.The adjective “elastic” is included in the term as it implies thecapability of stretching and deformation and subsequent return to anoriginal shape. EPS graphics technology is described by Carpendale in AFramework for Elastic Presentation Space (Carpendale, Marianne S. T., AFramework for Elastic Presentation Space (Burnaby, British Columbia:Simon Fraser University, 1999)) which is incorporated herein byreference.

In EPS graphics technology, a two-dimensional visual representation isplaced onto a surface; this surface is placed in three-dimensionalspace; the surface, containing the representation, is viewed throughperspective projection; and the surface is manipulated to effect thereorganization of image details. The presentation transformation isseparated into two steps: surface manipulation or distortion andperspective projection. In the drawings, like numerals refer to likestructures or processes.

In general, the present invention provides a method, system, computerprogram product, and integrated circuit product for applyingdetail-in-context viewing techniques and elastic presentation spacetechnologies to the online and electronic presentation of viewablemedia. The method, system, computer program product, and integratedcircuit product are applicable to detail-in-context navigation withincomputer graphics processing systems including EPS graphics technologyand to computer graphics processing systems in general.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view 100 of a 3Dperspective viewing frustrum 220 in accordance with known elasticpresentation space (“EPS”) graphics technology. In EPS,detail-in-context views of 2D visual representations are created withsight-line aligned distortions of a 2D information presentation surfacewithin a 3D perspective viewing frustum 220. In EPS, magnification ofregions of interest and the accompanying compression of the contextualregion to accommodate this change in scale are produced by the movementof regions of the surface towards the viewpoint 240 located at the apexof the pyramidal shape 220 containing the frustum. The process ofprojecting these transformed layouts via a perspective projectionresults in a new 2D layout which includes the zoomed and compressedregions. The use of the third dimension and perspective distortion toprovide magnification in EPS provides a meaningful metaphor for theprocess of distorting the information presentation surface. The 3Dmanipulation of the information presentation surface in such a system isan intermediate step in the process of creating a new 2D layout of theinformation.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a cross-sectional view of apresentation 200 in accordance with known EPS graphics technology. EPSgraphics technology employs viewer-aligned perspective projections toproduce detail-in-context presentations in a reference view plane 201which may be viewed on a display. Undistorted 2D data points are locatedin a basal plane 210 of a 3D perspective viewing volume or frustum 220which is defined by extreme rays 221 and 222 and the basal plane 210. Aviewpoint (“VP”) 240 is located above the centre point of the basalplane 210 and reference view plane 201. Points in the basal plane 210are displaced upward onto a distorted surface 230 which is defined by ageneral 3D distortion function (i.e. a detail-in-context distortionbasis function). The direction of the viewer-aligned perspectiveprojection corresponding to the distorted surface 230 is indicated bythe line FPo-FP 231 drawn from a point FPo 232 in the basal plane 210through the point FP 233 which corresponds to the focus or focal regionor focal point of the distorted surface 230.

To reiterate, EPS refers to a collection of know-how and techniques forperforming “detail-in-context viewing” (also known as “multi-scaleviewing” and “distortion viewing”) of information such as images, maps,and text, using a projection technique summarized below. EPS isapplicable to multidimensional data and is well suited to implementationon a computer for dynamic detail-in-context display on an electronicdisplay surface such as a monitor. In the case of two dimensional data,EPS is typically characterized by magnification of areas of an imagewhere detail is desired, in combination with compression of a restrictedrange of areas of the remaining information (the “context”), the endresult typically giving the appearance of a lens having been applied tothe display surface. EPS has numerous advantages over conventional zoom,pan, and scroll technologies, including the capability of preserving thevisibility of information outside the local region of interest.

In general, in EPS, the source image to be viewed is located in thebasal plane. Magnification and compression are achieved throughelevating elements of the source image relative to the basal plane, andthen projecting the resultant distorted surface onto the reference viewplane. EPS performs detail-in-context presentation of n-dimensional datathrough the use of a procedure wherein the data is mapped into a regionin an (n+1) dimensional space, manipulated through perspectiveprojections in the (n+1) dimensional space, and then finally transformedback into n-dimensional space for presentation.

For example, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in two dimensions, EPS canbe implemented through the projection of an image onto a reference plane201 in the following manner. The source image is located on a basalplane 210, and those regions of interest 233 of the image for whichmagnification is desired are elevated so as to move them closer to areference plane situated between the reference viewpoint 240 and thereference view plane (RVP) 201. Magnification of the “focal region” 233closest to the RVP varies inversely with distance from the RVP 201. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, compression of regions outside the focal region233 is a function of both distance from the RVP 201, and the gradient ofthe function describing the vertical distance from the RVP 201 withrespect to horizontal distance from the focal region 233. The resultantcombination of magnification and compression of the image as seen fromthe reference viewpoint 240 results in a lens-like effect similar tothat of a magnifying glass applied to the image, and the resultantdistorted image may be referred to as a “pliable display surface”.Hence, the various functions used to vary the magnification andcompression of the image via vertical displacement from the basal plane210 are described as lenses, lens types, or lens functions. Lensfunctions that describe basic lens types with point and circular focalregions, as well as certain more complex lenses and advancedcapabilities such as folding, have previously been described byCarpendale.

System. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a block diagram of anexemplary data processing system 300 for implementing an embodiment ofthe invention. The data processing system is suitable for implementingEPS technology and for running PliablePaper™ computer software. The dataprocessing system 300 includes an input device 310, a central processingunit or CPU 320, memory 330, and a display 340. The input device 310 maybe a keyboard, mouse, trackball, or similar device. The CPU 320 mayinclude dedicated coprocessors and memory devices. The memory 330 mayinclude RAM, ROM, databases, or disk devices. And, the display 340 mayinclude a computer screen or terminal device. The data processing system300 has stored therein data representing sequences of instructions whichwhen executed cause the method described herein to be performed. Ofcourse, the data processing system 300 may contain additional softwareand hardware a description of which is not necessary for understandingthe invention.

Online and Electronic Presentation of Printed Media Using EPS(PliablePaper™). According to one aspect of the invention, EPS isapplied to the electronic and online (i.e. Internet) presentation oftraditional printed media and printed documents including newspapers,magazines, and telephone directories. This is affected by the electronicscaling of the document content to a size that allows presentation ofthe full content on the display surface, with the use of specialized EPSlenses to enlarge regions of interest 233 to make them readable to theuser. This method can be used to achieve the more effective presentationof web page content on small display surfaces including handheldcomputers. This aspect of the invention can be implemented withpre-placed EPS lenses on important content components includingheadlines, feature articles, tables of contents, and advertisements.Interaction with the reader is such that articles in the reader's regionof interest 233 are enlarged automatically via EPS lenses of complexshape to suit the shape of the article or other area of interest.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a screen 400 capture of two pagesfrom a newspaper representation that have been effectively shrunk to fita display surface 340 in accordance with the preferred embodiment. Asnoted above, the term “PliablePaper™” is used herein to refer to acomputer software product that implements the method of this preferredembodiment of the invention. A lens 410 has been used in the fifthcolumn to increase the font size in the reader's region of interest 233.The top 420 and bottom 430 of the lens 410 are tapered to provide acontinuous transition to the unmagnified text 440. Partial overwritingof neighboring columns 450 and images 460 by the lens 410, rather than alateral distortion, is performed to blend the lens 410 into theundistorted regions 470, and provide enough space for the lens 410 whilepreserving the spatial orientation of the neighboring columns.

The implementation of pre-placed lenses can be achieved as follows. Inorder to provide the user with an immediate view of certain regions of adocument, items of interest such as article headlines, whole articles,or advertisements can have lenses 410 in place when the document isfirst viewed. This can be implemented, for example, through the use ofspecial lens locating information (i.e. locating tags) embedded withinthe source document or in a separate data layer, indicating thecharacteristics, location and/or bounds of the lens.

The implementation of asymmetric, tapered lenses 410, 420, 430 providingblending into the column of interest can be achieved as follows. The useof such tapering of the lenses provides a direct visual connection and asmooth transition from magnified 410 to unmagnified 440 areas tofacilitate the user's navigation of the document. The sides of the lens,which are unnecessary, are not drawn so as to improve performance andpreserve the visibility of neighbouring columns 450, 460, 470 wherepossible.

Again referring the FIG. 4, the partial cutting off of lines of text tofacilitate blending in the distorted region of the lens is supported.

The handling of boundary conditions is supported by the inward foldingof lenses, as described by Carpendale, when a boundary such as a pageborder is encountered allowing for the magnification of a columnimmediately adjacent to the border by effectively shifting the lenscontents inward.

To reiterate and expand upon this aspect of the invention, using acombination of EPS technology and Internet technologies, the newspaperindustry, for example, is provided with a complete electronic deliverysolution for creating and delivering the newspaper, in its currentformat, to readers who will read the newspaper on-line using theirexisting hardware technology combined with PliablePaper™ software. Inthis model, newpaper publishers can license the software and provide itto their readers via on-line downloading. Once the PliablePaper™software is installed on a reader's machine, the reader can download acopy of the newspaper, or, the newspaper can be delivered each day viathe Internet by the newspaper publisher. With PliablePaper™ software,the reader can see each page of the newspaper shrunk down to fit theirmonitor 340. However, each article heading and each advertisement willbe easily readable with a pre-placed EPS lens.

In general, newspaper readers tend to scan the headings of articlesbefore they decide which to read. With the method of the preferredembodiment, readers do not have to change their learned behaviour. Foreach article of interest, one click of the mouse 310 can activate apre-placed lens encapsulating a chosen article. This allows the readerto read the article with ease. For each advertisement of interest, oneclick of the mouse 310 can activate a pre-placed lens encapsulating theentire advertisement which can include the advertiser's web address andother related information. Turning pages can be performed more easily;searching for information on a specific company can be performed moreeasily; printing a specific article or advertisement can be performedmore easily; and, navigation can be performed more easily because itcombines two already possessed skills of the reader, namely, the almostinnate sense of how a newspaper is structured and the ability tonavigate using a mouse. Hence, the method of the preferred embodimentfacilitates the above advantages and features while requiring no newskills on the part of the reader.

In general then, lens shapes may be selected by evaluating the contentand context of the region to be viewed. For example in newspapersinformation is layed out in columns, thus the present invention willselect an appropriate lens to just fit a particular column width, thusavoiding spill-over into adjacent columns. Further, a snapping actionmay be used to center a lens on a column. In this case the inventionevaluates the information to determine boundaries within the region ofinterest and places the lens within these boundaries. A similartechnique may be used for viewing regions on a map.

Surface Generation Algorithms for Pliable Display Surfaces. According toanother aspect of the invention, to achieve accurate magnification andoptimize computational performance, pliable display surfaces for EPS aredirectly generated by sampling the distorted layout space and deriving apolygonal surface from sampled points. This technique has importantadvantages over approximation techniques such as the use of non-uniformrational b-splines (“NURBS”) to implement the surface as described byWatt, et al. (Watt, A. and M. Watt, Advanced Animation and RenderingTechniques, Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1992, p.106-108), andincorporated herein by reference.

According to this aspect of the invention, the sample points areselected in such a manner as to provide a sufficient representation ofthe important features of the data space, including the undistortedregions at original magnification/compression levels, the regions thatare within the focal areas of lenses, and finally the boundaries betweenthese regions. The accurate sampling of boundaries is important forachieving correct magnification and can be used in the eventualillumination of the surface to provide a perceptual cue to the userthrough shading. The sample points are connected to form a grid via anappropriate triangulation algorithm, for example Delauney triangulationas described by Boots (Boots, B. N., Delauney triangles: An Alternativeapproach to point pattern analysis, Proc. Assoc. Am. Geogr. 6 (1974),p.26-29), and incorporated herein by reference, to form a continuoussurface. This surface is employed as a medium for the presentation ofraster data via texture-mapping as well as to provide the perceptualshading cues revealing the topology of the distorted data space.

It is an advantage of the present invention is that the directgeneration of the surface from a set of sample points is superior toalternate methods such as the use of a NURBS surface for the followingreasons: direct control over the triangulation of the surface in theregions where lenses pose distinct boundaries; full and accurate controlover final magnification where approximated surfaces would result inareas of the surface that are over and under-magnified; and, computingperformance enhancements that result from decreasing the number ofsample points in regions where additional detail is unnecessary. Use ofa more dense grid pattern near the region of interest 233 or where themagnification or the slope of the lens function is large can be used toenhance the smoothness of the visible transition from context into theregion of interest 233. Use of a less dense grid pattern elsewhereachievers improved computing performance through the use of an optimizedgrid pattern.

In summary, because sets of points in the magnified region are projectedonto a polygon of specified height above the basal plane, magnificationfactors can be easily and accurately determined, as they areproportional to this height. Furthermore, other techniques such assplines, which are themselves approximations, lack the accuracy presentin the techniques of the present invention. Polygons are also moreefficient when displaying large raster files.

Special Lens Types and Enhancements. According to another aspect of theinvention, EPS technology is applied to multilayer or compositeinformation through blending and filtering techniques as will bedescribed in the following.

Blending between multiple sets of data within an EPS lens can be used tocompare coincident regions of interest 233 from different data sets orlayers, for example, to show detailed precipitation, population, anddisease data in detail only in a particular region of interest 233 of ageographic map.

Filtering of specific data characteristics or data layers within a lenscan also be performed. The data shown within a lens can be filtered suchthat only data within the desired range or from a specific data layer isdrawn. This has application as a data inspection aid, for example, toquickly reveal areas in a geographic map having particularly highpopulations or disease frequencies.

User Interface Aspects and Components. According to another aspect ofthe invention, lens characteristics including magnification control,shape, and size can be modified by specific user input via pointingdevices 310 or via a pointing device and keyboard keystroke operationsas will be described in the following.

Magnification control is provided by a combination of either a keystrokeor a single “tap” on a pointing device 310, such as a stylus, toindicate an imminent magnification change request, followed by astraight line stroke of the pointing device to actually set the newmagnification in proportion to the distance traveled or the velocity ofthe pointing device.

Control of lens shape is provided by “dragging” a lens border with apointing device 310. The result is that the lens border distortselastically to include the new pointing device position in the set ofpoints within the region of interest 233. In this manner, the user candirectly specify changes in the shape of the lens using just a pointingdevice. This allows the user to specify arbitrary lens shapes. Actualimplementation of complex lens shapes is achieved by appending newlenses onto the original lens.

Control of lens size is provided by dragging the lens borders using apointing device 310 to adjust the lens size.

Implementation of EPS as a Client/Server Application. According toanother aspect of the invention, EPS lenses can be implemented insoftware (e.g. PliablePaper™) within an interactive client-serverapplication over a network. The client software can be self-contained orcould exist within an Internet browser as a “plug-in” or accessory. Inthe case of an Internet browser plug-in, the software can detect thepresence of one or more data elements such as images within a web pageand allow application of EPS lenses to these elements. The applicationcomponents residing on the server computer would make multipleresolutions of the data available to the client on demand such thatadditional detail of the source data can be shown in the lens. In thefollowing, details concerning the implementation of EPS technology in aclient-server environment are provided. Note that methods for minimizingnetwork traffic between the client and server in low-bandwidthsituations are of particular concern and are addressed in the following.

According to another aspect of the invention, “detail-on-demand”functionality is provided as follows. In the original display of a lensapplied to data such as an image, the client software displays the focalregion 233 of the EPS lens in low resolution until the pointing device310 has paused or “hovered” over a particular region of interest. If thelens remains in the same position for a period of time, then additionaldata will be retrieved from the server to fill in additional detail inthe magnified region and neighbouring regions. High resolution isbeneficial in the neighbouring regions for blending the lens border intothe context if the slope of the lens borders is large. This minimizesnetwork traffic while the user is navigating over a region of the datarather than examining it in detail.

According to another aspect of the invention, “adaptive pre-fetching”functionality is provided as follows. This technique is used to improveresponse time (i.e. performance) of lenses to input from a pointingdevice 310 by retrieving data from the server in advance of the need forit; it is a predictive technique. A pointing device 310 controls thelens position, and the acceleration, velocity and position of the devicecan be used to predict the next position of the lens. In this manner, anestimate can be made of the next required high-resolution data, and itcan be retrieved from the server over the network in advance of it beingneeded.

Control of EPS Lens by Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Receiver, CellPhone, or Other External Data Source. According to another aspect of theinvention, EPS lens locations and/or parameters are controlled by anexternal data source such as a GPS receiver or cell phone. In the GPScase, an EPS lens location on a map shown on a display surface can bedetermined by physical location information provided by a GPS receivercoupled to the data processing system 300. In this manner, detailednavigational information in the user's vicinity can be provided in thecontext of a larger scale map. Alternately, location informationprovided automatically by a cellular phone system or network can be usedto locate the device user and position a lens appropriately. This aspectof the invention can be implemented in enhanced automobile dashboard,marine, and aircraft navigation systems, as well as personalnavigational aids on handheld computing devices. In addition, a lensshaped to the intended path of the user from a current location to adestination on a map can be implemented.

Automatic Motion. According to another aspect of the invention, timedmotion of an EPS lens over data such as text 400 to allow reading oftext or scanning of images or maps without the need for intervention bythe user is provided. This aspect of the invention can be implemented inmultimedia, PliablePaper™, reading aids for the disabled, as well as inadvertising.

EPS as a Solution to the “Labeling Problem”. According to another aspectof the invention, a solution is provided to a problem commonlyencountered in labeling images and maps wherein there is insufficientspace for labels, particularly as the scale of a map changes and thedetails to be labeled are spatially dense. EPS provides a solution tothis problem in the case of electronic display surfaces throughcapabilities such as detail-in-context viewing and folding (as describedby Carpendale) that allow the user to dynamically adjust the displayedlevel of detail and move undesired labels out of the line of sight ofthe user.

Method. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a flow chart 500illustrating a general method for displaying data representations ofprinted media on a display screen of a computer according to oneembodiment of the invention. At step 501, the method starts. At step502, the data representation is scaled to produce a scaled datarepresentation wherein the scaled data representation contains theentire content of the data representation and wherein the scaled datarepresentation fits on the display screen. At step 503, a region ofinterest in the scaled data representation is deformed with a lens toproduce a data presentation. At step 504, the data presentation isdisplayed on the display screen, thereby improving the legibility of theregion of interest within the context of the scaled data representation.At step 505, the method ends.

Computer Software Product. The sequences of instructions which whenexecuted cause the method described herein to be performed by theexemplary data processing system of FIG. 3 can be contained in acomputer software product according to one embodiment of the invention.This computer software product can be loaded into and run by theexemplary data processing system of FIG. 3.

Integrated Circuit Product. The sequences of instructions which whenexecuted cause the method described herein to be performed by theexemplary data processing system of FIG. 3 can be contained in anintegrated circuit product including a coprocessor or memory accordingto one embodiment of the invention. This integrated circuit product canbe installed in the exemplary data processing system of FIG. 3.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

1. A system for displaying a region of interest within visualinformation on a display screen, said system having memory and an inputdevice, comprising: a processor coupled to said memory, display screen,and input device and adapted for: applying a transformation to saidvisual information to improve visual detail in said region of interestby: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surface shapefor said region of interest; and, creating a presentation by overlayingsaid visual information on said lens surface and projecting said lenssurface with said information onto a plane; said lens surface shapecausing overwriting of at least a portion of said visual informationadjacent to said region of interest and tapering of at least a portionof said lens surface into at least one undistorted area of said visualinformation; and, displaying said presentation on said display screen.2. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface shape preservesspatial orientation of said portion of said visual information adjacentto said region of interest.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein said lenssurface shape provides sufficient space for said lens surface in saidpresentation.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor is furtheradapted for scaling said visual information to fit on said displayscreen.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface is comprisedof a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from a plurality ofpoints sampled from said lens surface shape.
 6. The system of claim 5wherein said applying a transformation includes selecting parameters forsaid polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number, density, andpattern.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein said parameters for saidpolygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation time for saidpresentation.
 8. The system of claim 6 wherein said density of saidpolygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding said region ofinterest.
 9. The system of claim 6 wherein said density of saidpolygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surface shapehas a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
 10. The system of claim6 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density of saidpolygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
 11. The system ofclaim 6 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
 12. The system ofclaim 6 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above a basalplane, said height selected to provide a proportional magnification forat least a portion of said region of interest.
 13. The system of claim 6wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected to provide a uniformlymagnified area for at least a portion of said region of interest. 14.The system of claim 1 wherein said region of interest, said lenssurface, and said lens surface shape include a plurality of regions ofinterest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surfaceshapes, respectively.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein said region ofinterest has a shape and at least a portion of said lens surface shapecorresponds to said shape.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein said lenssurface shape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.17. The system of claim 16 wherein said portion of said region ofinterest is magnified.
 18. The system of claim 16 wherein said portionof said region of interest includes magnified text and increased fontsize text.
 19. The system of claim 16 wherein said lens surface shapehas at least one continuous tapered transition from said portion of saidregion of interest to at least one undistorted area of said visualinformation.
 20. The system of claim 1 wherein said visual informationis a page, said page including a newspaper page, a magazine page, atelephone directory page, a map page, and a web page.
 21. The system ofclaim 20 wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column,an article, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page. 22.The system of claim 1 wherein said display screen is contained in ahandheld device.
 23. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor isfurther adapted for moving said lens surface about said visualinformation over time to provide a dynamic presentation.
 24. The systemof claim 1 wherein said region of interest is selected based on dataprovided by an external data source.
 25. The system of claim 24 wheresaid external source includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)receiver and a cellular telephone network.
 26. A computer programproduct having a computer readable medium tangibly embodying computerexecutable code for displaying a region of interest within visualinformation on a display screen of a computer, comprising: code forapplying a transformation to said visual information to improve visualdetail in said region of interest by: creating a lens surface having apredetermined lens surface shape for said region of interest; and,creating a presentation by overlaying said visual information on saidlens surface and projecting said lens surface with said visualinformation onto a plane; said lens surface shape causing overwriting ofat least a portion of said visual information adjacent to said region ofinterest and tapering of at least a portion of said lens surface into atleast one undistorted area of said visual information; and, code fordisplaying said presentation on said display screen.
 27. The computerprogram product of claim 26 wherein said lens surface shape preservesspatial orientation of said portion of said visual information adjacentto said region of interest.
 28. The computer program product of claim 26wherein said lens surface shape provides sufficient space for said lenssurface in said presentation.
 29. The computer program product of claim26 and further comprising code for scaling said visual information tofit on said display screen.
 30. The computer program product of claim 26wherein said lens surface is comprised of a plurality of polygonalsurfaces constructed from a plurality of points sampled from said lenssurface shape.
 31. The computer program product of claim 30 wherein saidapplying a transformation includes selecting parameters for saidpolygonal surfaces including size, shape, number, density, and pattern.32. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said parameters forsaid polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation time forsaid presentation.
 33. The computer program product of claim 31 whereinsaid density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regionssurrounding said region of interest.
 34. The computer program product ofclaim 31 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased inregions where said lens surface shape has a slope that exceeds apredetermined value.
 35. The computer program product of claim 31wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density of saidpolygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
 36. The computerprogram product of claim 31 wherein said polygonal surfaces aretriangles.
 37. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein saidpolygonal surfaces each have a height above a basal plane, said heightselected to provide a proportional magnification for at least a portionof said region of interest.
 38. The computer program product of claim 31wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected to provide a uniformlymagnified area for at least a portion of said region of interest. 39.The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said region ofinterest, said lens surface, and said lens surface shape include aplurality of regions of interest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and aplurality of lens surface shapes, respectively.
 40. The computer programproduct of claim 26 wherein said region of interest has a shape and atleast a portion of said lens surface shape corresponds to said shape.41. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said lens surfaceshape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.
 42. Thecomputer program product of claim 41 wherein said portion of said regionof interest is magnified.
 43. The computer program product of claim 41wherein said portion of said region of interest includes magnified textand increased font size text.
 44. The computer program product of claim41 wherein said lens surface shape has at least one continuous taperedtransition from said portion of said region of interest to at least oneundistorted area of said visual information.
 45. The computer programproduct of claim 26 wherein said visual information is a page, said pageincluding a newspaper page, a magazine page, a telephone directory page,a map page, and a web page.
 46. The computer program product of claim 45wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column, anarticle, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page.
 47. Thecomputer program product of claim 26 wherein said display screen iscontained in a handheld device.
 48. The computer program product ofclaim 26 and further comprising code for moving said lens surface aboutsaid visual information over time to provide a dynamic presentation. 49.The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said region of interestis selected based on data provided by an external data source.
 50. Thecomputer program product of claim 49 where said external source includesa Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular telephonenetwork.
 51. A method for displaying a region of interest within visualinformation on a display screen, comprising: applying a transformationto said visual information to improve visual detail in said region ofinterest by: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surfaceshape for said region of interest; and, creating a presentation byoverlaying said visual information on said lens surface and projectingsaid lens surface with said visual information onto a plane; said lenssurface shape providing overwriting of at least a portion of said visualinformation adjacent to said region of interest and blending of at leasta portion of said lens surface into at least one undistorted area ofsaid visual information; and, displaying said presentation on saiddisplay screen.
 52. The method of claim 51 wherein said lens surfaceshape preserves spatial orientation of said portion of said visualinformation adjacent to said region of interest.
 53. The method of claim51 wherein said lens surface shape provides sufficient space for saidlens surface in said presentation.
 54. The method of claim 51 andfurther comprising scaling said visual information to fit on saiddisplay screen.
 55. The method of claim 51 wherein said lens surface iscomprised of a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from aplurality of points sampled from said lens surface shape.
 56. The methodof claim 55 wherein said applying a transformation includes selectingparameters for said polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number,density, and pattern.
 57. The method of claim 56 wherein said parametersfor said polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation timefor said presentation.
 58. The method of claim 56 wherein said densityof said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding saidregion of interest.
 59. The method of claim 56 wherein said density ofsaid polygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surfaceshape has a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
 60. The method ofclaim 56 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density ofsaid polygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
 61. The method ofclaim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
 62. The methodof claim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above abasal plane, said height selected to provide a proportionalmagnification for at least a portion of said region of interest.
 63. Themethod of claim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected toprovide a uniformly magnified area for at least a portion of said regionof interest.
 64. The method of claim 51 wherein said region of interest,said lens surface, and said lens surface shape include a plurality ofregions of interest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality oflens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surface shapes, respectively. 65.The method of claim 51 wherein said region of interest has a shape andat least a portion of said lens surface shape corresponds to said shape.66. The method of claim 51 wherein said lens surface shape distorts atleast a portion of said region of interest.
 67. The method of claim 66wherein said portion of said region of interest is magnified.
 68. Themethod of claim 66 wherein said portion of said region of interestincludes magnified text and increased font size text.
 69. The method ofclaim 66 wherein said lens surface shape has at least one continuoustapered transition from said portion of said region of interest to atleast one undistorted area of said visual information.
 70. The method ofclaim 51 wherein said visual information is a page, said page includinga newspaper page, a magazine page, a telephone directory page, a mappage, and a web page.
 71. The method of claim 70 wherein said region ofinterest includes a headline, a column, an article, a graphic, and anadvertisement appearing on said page.
 72. The method of claim 51 whereinsaid display screen is contained in a handheld device.
 73. The method ofclaim 51 and further comprising means in the medium for moving said lenssurface about said visual information over time to provide a dynamicpresentation.
 74. The method of claim 51 wherein said region of interestis selected based on data provided by an external data source.
 75. Themethod of claim 74 where said external source includes a GlobalPositioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular telephone network.76. A system for displaying a region of interest within visualinformation on a display screen, said system having memory and an inputdevice, comprising: a processor coupled to said memory, display screen,and input device and adapted for: applying a transformation to saidvisual information to improve visual detail in said region of interestby: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surface shapefor said region of interest; and, creating a presentation by overlayingsaid visual information on said lens surface and projecting said lenssurface with said visual information onto a plane; said lens surfaceshape providing overwriting of at least a portion of said visualinformation adjacent to said region of interest and blending of at leasta portion of said lens surface into at least one undistorted area ofsaid visual information; and, displaying said presentation on saiddisplay screen; wherein said region of interest, said lens surface, andsaid lens surface shape include a plurality of regions of interest, aplurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surface shapes,respectively.
 77. The system of claim 76 wherein said lens surface shapepreserves spatial orientation of said portion of said visual informationadjacent to said region of interest.
 78. The system of claim 76 whereinsaid lens surface shape provides sufficient space for said lens surfacein said presentation.
 79. The system of claim 76 wherein said processoris further adapted for scaling said visual information to fit on saiddisplay screen.
 80. The system of claim 76 wherein said lens surface iscomprised of a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from aplurality of points sampled from said lens surface shape.
 81. The systemof claim 80 wherein said applying a transformation includes selectingparameters for said polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number,density, and pattern.
 82. The system of claim 81 wherein said parametersfor said polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation timefor said presentation.
 83. The system of claim 81 wherein said densityof said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding saidregion of interest.
 84. The system of claim 81 wherein said density ofsaid polygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surfaceshape has a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
 85. The system ofclaim 81 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density ofsaid polygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
 86. The system ofclaim 81 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
 87. The systemof claim 81 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above abasal plane, said height selected to provide a proportionalmagnification for at least a portion of said region of interest.
 88. Thesystem of claim 81 wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected toprovide a uniformly magnified area for at least a portion of said regionof interest.
 89. The system of claim 76 wherein said region of interesthas a shape and at least a portion of said lens surface shapecorresponds to said shape.
 90. The system of claim 76 wherein said lenssurface shape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.91. The system of claim 90 wherein said portion of said region ofinterest is magnified.
 92. The system of claim 90 wherein said portionof said region of interest includes magnified text and increased fontsize text.
 93. The system of claim 90 wherein said lens surface shapehas at least one continuous tapered transition from said portion of saidregion of interest to at least one undistorted area of said visualinformation.
 94. The system of claim 76 wherein said visual informationis a page, said page including a newspaper page, a magazine page, atelephone directory page, a map page, and a web page.
 95. The system ofclaim 94 wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column,an article, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page. 96.The system of claim 76 wherein said display screen is contained in ahandheld device.
 97. The system of claim 76 wherein said processor isfurther adapted for moving said lens surface about said visualinformation over time to provide a dynamic presentation.
 98. The systemof claim 76 wherein said region of interest is selected based on dataprovided by an external data source.
 99. The system of claim 98 wheresaid external source includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)receiver and a cellular telephone network.